Climate change is a serious threat to humanity and especially to young children. The changes in the environment, due to climate change, can cause poor air quality, higher temperatures, more extreme weather (ie. forest fires, cyclones, heat waves, floods), reduction in fresh water and nutritious food, displacement, impacts on family livelihoods and an increase in waterborne and other diseases.
Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact, creating barriers to the realization of their rights and hampering their ability to survive, grow and thrive. The right to a healthy environment underpins the rights of all children yet the climate crisis is a significant challenge in implementing children’s rights from access to food and safe water to housing, education, and freedom violence and abuse.
This thematic page, developed in partnership with the Asia Pacific Network for Early Childhood Development (ARNEC), includes key facts and resources about the inter-section of climate change and Early Childhood Development.
Climate change directly impacts children’s growth and development. The impact on young children, pregnant mothers and fetuses is a huge cause for alarm, as they are the groups most affected by climate change and environmental issues[1]:
More than a billion children live in cities. The lack of clean and safe spaces negatively impacts a child’s early development opportunities. It increases harmful exposure to air pollution and environmental toxins in city spaces such as playgrounds next to busy roads. Cities are not being designed to support young children and caregivers, where outdoor spaces such as playgrounds, preschools and roads are disabling safe movement, play and social interaction.
More research is needed to fully understand the impact of climate change on different areas of the nurturing care framework. The ECD sector needs to clearly articulate the impact of the climate crisis on young children’s development; and ECD programs need to incorporate strategies to address these in order to foster an enabling environment to nurturing care in the face of climate change. They need to better support young children and their families’ resilience and adaptation, so they can continue to foster their children’s development through integrated services. Some activities however which address challenges of climate change could include:
ARNEC website. https://arnec.net/
In line with ECDAN’s focus on climate change, the Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood Development (ARNEC) are prioritizing the realization of children’s rights to a clean, safe and secure environments in the region. It aims to show how the climate crisis is impacting nurturing care and enabling environments for the youngest children, and the activities it aims to undergo to address the challenges. The website has more information.
UNICEF (2019), Are Climate Policies Child Sensitive: A Guide for Action Summary
https://www.unicef.org/documents/are-climate-change-policies-child-sensitive
UNICEF, The Covid-19, Climate Change and Environmental Degradation Crises: Key Asks for Public Sector Partners, https://www.unicef.org/media/77151/file/COVID-19-Climate-Change-Key-Asks.pdf
Rees, N (2017), Danger in the air: How air pollution can affect brain development in young children, UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/sites/default/files/press-releases/glo-media-Danger_in_the_Air.pdf
Rees, N., Wickham, A. and Choi, Y. (2019), Silent Suffocation in Africa Air Pollution is a Growing Menace, Affecting the Poorest Children the Most, UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/media/55081/file/Silent%20suffocation%20in%20africa%20air%20pollution%202019%20.pdf
Kwauk, C. and Casey, O. (2021),
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Dora, C. (2020), “Climate Change and early childhood development: finding the synergies”, Early Childhood Matters, Bernard Van Leer Foundation, https://earlychildhoodmatters.online/2020/climate-change-and-early-childhood-development-finding-the-synergies/
Hanna, R. and Oliva, P. (2016), “Implications of Climate Change for Children in Developing Countries”, The Future of Children, Princeton University, Vol. 26, No. 1
https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/remahanna/files/implications_of_climate_change.pdf
United States Environmental Protection Agency (2016), Climate Change and the Health of Children, https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-childrens-health
Cabot Venton, C. (. ), The Benefits of a child-centred approach to climate change adaptation, UNICEF and Plan International, https://www.uncclearn.org/wp-content/uploads/library/unicef02.pdf
UNICEF (2017), Thirsting for a Future: Water and children in a changing climate, https://www.unicef.org/media/60101/file
UNICEF (2016), Clean the Air for Children, https://www.unicef.org/media/60106/file
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UNICEF (2019), A Gathering Storm: Climate change clouds the future of children in Bangladesh, https://www.unicef.org/rosa/reports/gathering-storm
ARNEC (2020). ‘Ensuring the wellbeing of young children amidst environmental risks in the Asia-Pacific region,’ ARNEC Connections. Available at: https://arnec.net/static/uploads/WEB%20RELEASE_21JANGlobal%20Leader%20for%20Young%20Children%20and%20Asia-Pacific%20program,%20from%20World%20Forum%20Foundation_ARNEC%20
CONNECTIONS_13_FINAL_LAYOUT%20WEB%20sixth.pdf
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Save the Children (2021) ‘CLIMATE CRISIS: 710 Million Children Live in Countries at High Risk’, Save the Children, 18 April 2021. Available at: https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2021-press-releases/climate-crisis-710-million-children-at-high-risk
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment (2018), Child Rights and the Environment, A/HRC/37/58.
UNCC, (2020). What do adaptation to climate change and climate resilience mean? Available at: https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/the-big-picture/what-do-adaptation-to-climate-change-and-climate-resilience-mean.
UNDP (2018). Development Approaches to Migration and Displacement in Asia and the Pacific Policy Brief. Available at: https://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/dam/rbap/docs/Research%20&%20Publications/democratic_governance/RBAP-DG-2018-Development-Approaches-to-Migration-and-Displacement-Asia-Pacific.pdf (Accessed 20 May 2021)
UNICEF (2015) ‘Children will bear the brunt of climate change’, UNICEF, 24 November 2015. Available at: https://www.unicef.cn/en/press-releases/children-will-bear-brunt-climate-change-unicef
UNICEF (2016) Clear the air for children: The impact of air pollution on children. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/media/60106/file
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Walton, H., William M., et al. (2019). ‘Personalising The Health Impacts Of Air Pollution: Summary For Decision Makers.’ Available at: http://erg.ic.ac.uk/Research/home/projects/personalised-health-impacts.html
Watanatada, P. ( 2018). Planning for Early Childhood Development. Presentation at the Growing Up Urban meeting in Surabaya, May 2018. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/eap/growing-up-urban
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World Health Organization (2018) ‘One third of global air pollution deaths in Asia Pacific’, WHO, 2 May 2018. Available at: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/detail/02-05-2018-one-third-of-global-air-pollution-deaths-in-asia-pacific
World Health Organization (2019) ‘Clean, safe and secure environments to support early childhood development’ WHO, 27 November 2019. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/clean-safe-and-secure-environments-to-support-early-childhood-development
World Vision (2020) Child Rights Now! The Global Climate Crisis: a child rights crisis. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Environment/SREnvironment/Call/NGOs/WorldVisionInputs2.pdf
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%20the%20Context%20of%20Climate%20Change.pdf
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Urgency, Hope, and the Intersection of Climate, Environment, and Young Children – by Dr. Joan Lombardi
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[1] https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/clean-safe-and-secure-environments-to-support-early-childhood-development
[2] https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2021-press-releases/climate-crisis-710-million-children-at-high-risk
[3] https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2021-press-releases/climate-crisis-710-million-children-at-high-risk
[4] Ensuring a Nurturing Care Environment for Young Children in the Context of Climate Change. Yousafzai, Aisha K. 2019. https://arnec.net/static/uploads/Keynote%20Aisha%20Yousafzai%20Ensuring%20a%20Nurturing%20Environment%20in
%20the%20Context%20of%20Climate%20Change.pdf
[5] HCDC, (unknown). Toxic Stress. Available at https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/
[6] UNDP (2018). Development Approaches to Migration and Displacement in Asia and the Pacific Policy Brief. Available at: https://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/dam/rbap/docs/Research%20&%20Publications/democratic_governance/RBAP-DG-2018-Development-Approaches-to-Migration-and-Displacement-Asia-Pacific.pdf
[7] Inheriting a sustainable world? Atlas on children’s health and the environment. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241511773
[8] Personalising The Health Impacts Of Air Pollution: Summary For Decision Makers. Walton, 2019 http://erg.ic.ac.uk/Research/home/projects/personalised-health-impacts.html
[9] One third of global air pollution deaths in Asia Pacific . WHO, 2019. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/detail/02-05-2018-one-third-of-global-air-pollution-deaths-in-asia-pacific
[10] UNCC, (2020). What do adaptation to climate change and climate resilience mean? Available at: https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/the-big-picture/what-do-adaptation-to-climate-change-and-climate-resilience-mean
[11] Urban95, Cities for Young Children Bernard Van Leer Foundation. Accessed 10 April 2021 https://bernardvanleer.org/solutions/urban95/ .
The Nurturing care framework for early childhood development: A framework for helping children SURVIVE and THRIVE to TRANS- FORM health and human potential builds upon state-of-the art evidence of how child development unfolds and of the effective policies and interventions that can improve early childhood de- velopment.